A restaurant, brasserie, bar, bakery, delicatessen and cookery school located in an environmentally sound converted warehouse on the Bristol Harbourside. (Rainwater is used to flush the loos.) Most of the food is organic and sourced from the West Country.Tel: 0117 906 5550; www.bordeaux-quay.co.uk

2. Holiday on the Menu, various locations

A range of Christmas courses is available, including truffles in Provence on December 3 and cooking with Guinness in Ireland on December 15.

3. Real Jam and Chutney Company, WinchesterTry sloe gin-making weekends with Hazel Southam of the award winning Real Jam and Chutney Company. Masterclass breaks run from November 10-12 and November 17-19 . If you book on to 10-12 November course, Winchesters' famous farmer's market is running. Ingredients are local, and seasonal and partly organic.

4. Leiths School of Food and Wine, LondonThe famous academy is holding a Christmas workshop on December 4, priced at £110. The first of two demonstrations will take the stress out of Christmas, focusing on recipes for advance preparation and large numbers. Tel: 020 7229 0177; www.leiths.com

5. Swinton Park, North YorkshireSwinton Park is running day "festive fare" courses at the cookery school in December. The emphasis is on traditional and very local ingredients: the hotel has a four-acre walled garden and a 20,000-acre estate from which seasonal produce, meat and game are sourced. Ingredients will be partly organic. Tel: 01765 680 900; www.swintonpark.com